Terrified Dolphin Trapped in Gowanus Canal

A likely terrified, apparently bleeding dolphin is stranded in the Gowanus Canal — the polluted Superfund site/former Mafia dumping ground running through central Brooklyn. Authorities and dolphin experts are on-scene, but no rescue operation can be attempted until for high tide — at 7 p.m.

NBC New York has stopped its live feed, but the AP has photos:

And Awl contributor Dave Bry is live at the scene, and it doesn't sound great:

Bummer. Cameraman who got close up shots said blood visible on dorsal fin. I suppose dolphin probably not in good shape to get in situation

Emilie Ruscoe is at the scene for Gothamist, and she tells us there are ambulances and some cops at the canal currently. "The dolphin is surfacing to breathe really irregularly and its breathing sounds shallow," she says, adding that the water is so murky "you can't see it when it's more than a foot below the surface."

The Gowanus is heavily polluted, but, as nearby residents are fond of pointing out, it's still full of marine life. In 2003, a harp seal survived a similar incident; on the other hand, in 2007, a minke whale disoriented by a storm became stranded and died. Dolphins breathe air, but having an open wound in water like that can't be good.

There are already, sadly, at least three "Gowanus Dolphin" parody accounts that I will not link to so as not to encourage such behavior. For those of you interested in the future of media technology, NBC has also, for whatever reason, already made a "Vine" out of it.